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South Korea deploys robot capable of killing intruders along border with North
South Korea has deployed sentry robots capable of detecting and killing intruders along the heavily-fortified border with North Korea, officials said.
North Korean soldiers look across the Demilitarized Zone towards South Korea Photo: EPA
South Korean soldiers patrol the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas Photo: AP
Armed robots won't be just the preserve of Hollywood as South Korea is developing sophisticated combat robots armed with weapons
The two countries have used various types of technology to spread propaganda to each other- including large banks of loud speakers Photo: REUTERS
Two robots with surveillance, tracking, firing and voice recognition systems were integrated into a single unit, a defence ministry spokesman said. The 400 million won (£220,000) unit was installed last month at a guard post in the central section of the Demilitarised Zone which bisects the peninsula, Yonhap news agency said.
It quoted an unidentified military official as saying the ministry would deploy sentry robots along the world's last Cold War frontier if the test was successful. The robot uses heat and motion detectors to sense possible threats, and alerts command centres, Yonhap said. If the command centre operator cannot identify possible intruders through the robot's audio or video communications system, the operator can order it to fire its gun or 40mm automatic grenade launcher.
South Korea is also developing highly sophisticated combat robots armed with weapons and sensors that could complement human soldiers on battlefields. It has a largely conscripted military of 655,000 against Pyongyang's 1.2 million-strong force, but a falling birth rate means Seoul will struggle in the future to maintain troop numbers.
